The purpose of this multiple case-study was to determine whether the use of reflective journals during graduate coursework impacts the level of technology implementation in instructional settings for experienced teachers. This study examined the relationships between: (1) levels of reflection demonstrated in journal responses, (2) the level of technology implementation, and (3) teachers' attitudes about technology implementation. The coding scheme used to determine levels of reflection in the journals was based on the framework of Leung and Kember. The LoTi questionnaire, developed in 1995 by Chris Moersch, was used to determine the levels of perceived technology implementation. The goal of this study was to provide information that may be utilized to plan more effective technology staff development. By providing insights on how to evaluate written work consistently for reflective thinking and on teachers' perceptions of technology implementation, university programs and school districts can develop better strategies for technology professional development. The findings suggest that teachers who demonstrated the characteristics of high levels of reflection also demonstrated characteristics of higher levels of technology implementation. Four of the five cases demonstrated a relationship among their scores on the Level of Reflection, Level of Technology Implementation (Loti), and Current Instructional Practice (CIP) measures. This study adds to the research regarding evaluation of reflection, the use of journals for reflection, and the impact of this strategy on technology implementation. The results of this qualitative study illustrate the process of using the theoretical framework of Lueng and Kember to evaluate the levels of reflection in written journal responses during professional development programs. The findings suggest that the use of reflective journals, in the context of the action research process during technology training, has a positive impact on technology implementation for practicing teachers.

The English language holds a powerful role world-wide and is now used in some domains in Sweden. This has caused concern for the future of the Swedish language and whether or nor diglossia is underway. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate if there are differences in the attitudes towards the increasing use of English in Swedish society between two different populations of upper-secondary school students: a) students who attend the International Baccalaureate Programme (whose medium of instruction is English), and b) students who attend the Social Science Programme (whose medium of instruction is Swedish). The study investigates students’ pattern and language use and attitudes through the use of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. The results show that the IB pupils are somewhat less positively disposed towards the increased influence of the English language in Swedish society and argue that it might pose a threat to the status of the Swedish language. However, the investigation also discloses that most IB pupils, to a much larger extent than the SP pupils, consider English paramount in order to succeed in today’s society. Furthermore, the results indicate that the IB pupils’ attitudes towards the expansion of the English language in Swedish society largely correspond to the main objective of Mål i mun, i.e. to protect the Swedish language as well as promote the English language. Key words: diglossia, domain, language shift, attitudes, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, reflective journals

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Preparing college students to be contributing members of local and global societies requires educators to analyze the capabilities and needs of their students and to adjust instructional content and practice. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was twofold: (a) to explore how classroom approaches designed to facilitate students' questioning of assumptions and beliefs regarding different cultural beliefs, social structures, and practices might influence Japanese college students' self-reported development of intercultural competence, and (b) to investigate whether or not the students developed their potential for intercultural competence. Mezirow's transformative learning theory informed this study. Archival qualitative data were from 137 Japanese undergraduate students' journals from a course with approaches designed to facilitate questioning their assumptions and beliefs. Multilevel coding was used to support thematic analysis. Archival quantitative data of students' pretest and posttest scores on the Intercultural Adaptation Potential Scale (ICAPS) were too few for meaningful analysis. Limited trend interpretations of the quantitative data helped support the qualitative data findings. Key findings included students identifying the importance of opportunities to discuss conflicting cultural beliefs, social structures, and practices; several questioned their assumptions and enhanced their intercultural competence. Expanded research into the challenge of enhancing cultural competence is needed. Positive social change is possible when intercultural competence and understanding the importance of dealing with cultural conflicts in an informed manner are enhanced. Students who expand their comfort levels and understandings will gain membership into multiple societies, reflect critically on their worldviews, and be able to take positive actions during conflicts.

The aim of this thesis was to explore Swedish pharmacist students’ learning during pharmacy internship. Internships are meant to introduce students to professional practice. Education programs have to reflect changes in the professional role, and take into account that learning in a professional practice setting differs from organized formal education. This thesis includes both quantitative and qualitative research approaches and applies workplace learning theories. A scheme for measuring pharmacy students’ reflective ability was developed and shown to be feasible and reliable. Factors important for reflection were found to be primarily social and contextual, especially trained tutor and small pharmacy size. Notably, learning style or critical thinking did not correlate to students’ reflective ability. Tutors and students perceived that students used a wide variety of activities supporting learning of a broad repertoire of knowledge and skills, preparing them for coming professional working life. Tutors are most important to support learning. However, the current curriculum and formal activities do not address all these outcomes and learning activities used, e.g. workplace learning. The first overall conclusion is that internship plays an essential part in the pharmacist education program. The integration of formal and informal learning activities during internship, including raising awareness of incidental learning, is important to support students in learning the professional practice of pharmacy. This integration could possibly be strengthened by introducing further tutor training, different assignments, and by using portfolios. The second conclusion is that the community of practice is essential for students’ learning during internship, especially the student-tutor interaction. Hence, the entire social context has to be considered and it is important to ensure a good learning environment at pharmacies during internship. In summary, this thesis contributes to the understanding of students’ learning during pharmacy internship and introduces educational research on the Swedish undergraduate pharmacy education programs.

How do we help students to integrate their tertiary education with their development as " wise" global citizens and professionals? The study engages with this question through exploring the use of Reflective Journals as a central and integrating strategy for learning and assessment for a socially and culturally diverse group of students in a large, compulsory, first year, one-semester Engineering unit [BNB007: Professional Studies] between 2000 and 2004. The study supports the hypothesis that Reflective Journals can be an effective strategy for improving the often-criticised poor communication skills of domestic and international students in technical fields. For many students, the process of reflection also became a means of learning about their learning. Attitude surveys administered to students pre and post the teaching intervention in the years 2000-2002 showed positive changes in anticipated directions that encouraged further research. If attitude change was occurring in BNB007, what was the nature of the change? The research showed that at a deeper, longer term and more complex level, this new self-awareness supported many students to develop the kind of futures thinking and social learning " that will be necessary to navigate the transition to sustainable futures" (Raskin et al., 2002). The study contributes to the literature and to methodology through the first complementary use of two new methodologies, Sense-Making and Causal Layered Analysis. Thirty in-depth Sense-Making based interviews, including four with staff, indicate that 'meta-reflection' and transformative learning did take place. Expressing these qualities in the discourse of internationalisation as " global portability" or even " global competence" is unsatisfactory because these popular terms do not embody the qualities graduates need to create sustainable futures. As currently used, they mainly serve a market-dominated version of globalisation and its allied internationalisation-as-profit discourse. Raskin et al proposed a more appropriate term, " sustainability professionals", emerging from a preferred, valuesbased globalisation inspired by a vision of humane, sustainable futures that see " rights assured, nature treasured, culture rich and the human spirit animate" (p.70). This more challenging concept of a graduate for the 21st century is expressed here through the term Globo sapiens, whose qualities are identified in this study. Such professionals are willing to think critically and to assume responsibility for their impact on communities and the planet. This is the critical-futures oriented, transformative and therefore radical notion connoted by the title Towards Globo sapiens. This research identified some of the terrain and challenges of a post-development vision in a vocational area of teaching in Higher Education. It explained how particular students resisted or reconstructed their worlds when challenged at fundamental levels, but within a supportive atmosphere. Thus the study contributes to what educators might need to know, be and do, in order to teach effectively for the transformations urged by Sustainability Scientists, among others, and upon which any sustainable alternative futures depend. The study is underpinned by transdisciplinary syntheses that help to illuminate each area in new and fruitful ways.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:43:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1646056 bytes, checksum: c7c366093ce5214c283df8126a307452 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This action-research placed in the field of Applied Linguistics has as general objective to investigate the representations of experience in a reflective journal of a researcher-teacher, in context of Educação de Jovens e Adultos in a public school at Paraíba, in relation to a literacy project in English as FL which aims to elaborate a cultural folder. More specifically, I objective to examine the ways of acting of the reflexive process (SMYTH, 1992) in relation to the practice of the researcher-teacher when developing the literacy project, deepening the analysis through the system of transitivity (HALLIDAY, 1994). To achieve the proposed objectives, this study is based on the theoretical assumptions on journals and reflective practice (BAILEY, 1990; ZABALZA 1994, 2004, LIBERALI, 1999; REICHMANN, 2001; TÁPIAS-OLIVEIRA, 2006, among others), on literacy practices (KLEIMAN, 1995, 2000; BARTON et al 2000; OLIVEIRA and KLEIMAN 2008; TINOCO, 2008; ROJO, 2008) and on Sistemic-Functional Linguistics (HALLIDAY, 1994). The results reveal that the way of acting occurred the most correspond to describing; it is also the most significant one. In relation to the researcher-teacher's representations concerning her own practice, it is verified that that representation happened, mainly, through the material Processes, portraying the concrete actions, including more Actors, i.e., the teacher and the students. It is possible to notice a great incidence of material Processes, that signalizes different doings suggesting a transformation of the researcher- teacher in terms of changes in foreign language teaching in context of EJA. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of reflective journaling as a literacy practice and as an instrument of self-development tool, (re)signifying the role of the teacher. This study also underscores the need to reimagine English language teaching/learning process, emphasizing the importance of focusing on writing as a social practice and on literacy projects. / Esta pesquisa-ação situada no campo da Linguística Aplicada tem como objetivo geral investigar as representações da experiência em um diário reflexivo de uma professora-pesquisadora, em contexto de Educação de Jovens e Adultos em uma escola pública na Paraíba, em relação a um projeto de letramento em inglês como língua estrangeira, cujo intuito é a elaboração de um folder cultural. Mais especificamente, objetiva examinar as formas de ação do processo reflexivo (SMYTH, 1992) em relação à prática da professora-pesquisadora ao desenvolver o projeto de letramento, aprofundando a análise por meio do sistema de transitividade (HALLIDAY, 1994). Para atingir o objetivo proposto, este estudo está ancorado nos pressupostos teóricos sobre diários e prática reflexiva (BAILEY, 1990; SMYTH, 1992; ZABALZA 1994, 2004; ROMERO, 1998; LIBERALI, 1999; REICHMANN, 2001; TÁPIAS-OLIVEIRA, 2006, entre outros), práticas de letramento (KLEIMAN, 1995, 2000; BARTON et al 2000; OLIVEIRA e KLEIMAN 2008) e Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional, em especial, os Processos (HALLIDAY, 1994). A análise do corpus revela que a forma de ação mais recorrente e significativa corresponde a descrever. Em relação às representações da professora-pesquisadora, verificamos que ocorreram, principalmente, por meio de Processos materiais, inscrevendo fazeres e incluindo mais Atores, ou seja, a professora e os alunos. É possível perceber uma grande incidência de Processos materiais, que passam a sinalizar fazeres diferentes, sugerindo uma transformação da prática da professora-pesquisadora em termos de mudanças nas aulas de língua estrangeira em contexto de EJA. Concluindo, esta pesquisa demonstra a importância do diário reflexivo como prática de letramento e como instrumento de autoformação, proporcionando uma (re)significação do papel do professor, como também ressalta a necessidade de reinventar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem da língua inglesa, enfatizando a relevância de projetos de letramento, dando um maior enfoque na questão da escrita como prática social.

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